Monday, February 18, 2008

Is there a connection between Fast food and obesity?The answer to the above question is a big yes! Research scientists say that "fast foods increase the risk of obesity in regular consumers by encouraging intentional overeating." Fast food and obesity are closely linked. Studies have shown that fast foods are very high in energy density (the amount of calories different foods contain weight for weight) and these high density foods can cause people to accidentally eat more calories than they need. A typical fast food meal has an energy density 150% more than an average traditional meal. A fast food meal contains many more calories than a similar-sized portion of a healthy meal. Many supermarket ready-meals and convenience foods are also very energy dense. To stem the tide of obesity, it's important that we don't just swap one unhealthy meal for another. Fast foods also contain high amount of sodium(salt), oil, refined sugar and refined flour which are no good to the body. This combination of the foods is the most health harming and causes obesity. Ayurveda medical science says that refined sugar causes obesity, acidity, dental cavities, osteoporosis, high cholesterol levels, migraine, kidney deseases etc. and leads to metabolic disorders. Fried fast foods cause acidity and indigestion. Refined flour is made by removing the outer cover of the grain. This reduces the nutritional value of the grains by removing fibre. Foods deficient in fibre give rise to constipation and irregular bowel habits. Many diet and weight loss programs which advice fast foodS for weight loss are greatly mistaken in their approach.You are advised to always keep away from such fad diet plans. Health and weight loss can be easily achieved by following a healthy weight loss program which recommends lots of health foods like fresh fruits,vegetables etc. in your daily diet.You can get more cutting edge fat burning secrets in my Free 5day email ecourse by subscribing to my newsletter at: www.eweightlosstips.com

Glycemic index ranks different carbohydrate foods depending on their potential to raise blood glucose levels. The ranking is on a scale from 0 to 100.Higher the Glycemic index, higher is the particular carbohydrates ability to effect a spike(rise) in blood glucose levels.Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2).This is as far as it goes about the use of glycemic index for weight loss. Popular diet books like the south beach diet are founded on the premise that the spike in blood glucose levels leads to more hunger and subsequent weight gain, whereas the foods with low GI have a tendency to delay the haunger or lower appetite, leading to weight loss, which is too simplistic, but ,not quite supported by scientific evidence.Read this excerpt taken from WebMD:Experts Take On the Glycemic Index It sounds like a magic formula for dieters --but experts have long been saying there's no such thing. "If you don't have peaks and valleys in your glucose level then hunger should be kept at bay," says Kathleen Zellman, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). "However, it's not that simple. It's also affected by meal size, whether there's any fat in the meal, and overall health status." "Glycemic index looks at individual foods -- not how that food might interact with another," says Connie Diekman, RD, an ADA spokesperson in St. Louis, Missouri. "If you eat a high glycemic index food with a protein, for example, it might be absorbed more slowly. ... That's the hang-up with glycemic index. Very few people will sit down and eat one high glycemic index food and then another. It's meals that we eat." Michael Jensen, MD, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says it's never been proven that high insulin levels -- which result when a high glycemic index food is eaten -- mean increased hunger. "When [you] work with patients who get real hungry between meals, you have to try a couple of different things. I'm not sure if it's glycemic index, the bulk of food, the content of food that gives [the sense of fullness] ... I also have them consider adding protein and modest amounts of fat to decrease overeating between meals." All the researchers are unanimous in that, it's the fiber content of the diet that is more important for controlling diabetes and weight gain than the Glycemic Index.Read the exerpts of a new research document from WebMD,.... New research shows that when it comes to type 2 diabetes, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Tufts University researchers report that eating whole-grain foods, especially fiber-rich cereals, appears to improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of the metabolic syndrome. Whole-grain foods have already been found to help protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and the newly published study is one of several that indicates there is a protective role for whole grains against a constellation of major risk factors that lead to metabolic syndrome -- a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and the development of type 2 diabetes. "Unless you're a diabetic, glycemic index may not be all that important," says Jack Alhadeff, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. , who adds that since most of us eat a variety of foods in a meal, the accuracy of the index can be questionable. But what about the notion that glucose from high-index foods is more likely to be stored as fat? "The scientific literature is very clear that eating carbohydrates that are embedded in plant cellulose -- complex carbohydrates -- is always better," says Nagi Kumar, PhD, director of clinical nutrition at the Moffitt Cancer Center and professor of human nutrition at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "But the reasons it is better are not because it somehow lessens or alters fat storage." All this leads one to conclude that the importance of fiber is far more that Glycemic index for dieters. The weight loss programs like many low carb diets and the popular south beach diet are only trying to exploit the limited scientific data on Glycemic Index to sell their diet wares. A diet rich in fibre has many advantages like: Fiber can help you avoid overeating. It has been found that fiber can bind with cholesterol in the digestive tract, thus lowering blood cholesterol. Another important point about fiber-rich foods is that they tend to be loaded with phytochemicals that appear to have anticancer functions,along with these benefits and its role in weight maintenance, fiber helps prevent the following: Constipation Hemorrhoids Appendicitis Diverticulosis -- an intestinal disease where pockets, which can become infected, develop in the intestinal lining. A diet program which recommends fiber rich foods and is loaded with healthy and natural weight loss alternatives to the foods recommended by the fad diets is the only alternative to safe and sure weight loss.You can get more cutting edge fat burning secrets in my Free 5day email ecourse by subscribing to my newsletter at: www.eweightlosstips.com

Want sexy abs? But don't know how to get rid of those love handles? Then read on...There are many factors responsible for abdominal fat like processed food, refined sugar, lack of exercise etc.But the following two invisible factors are mainly responsible for abdominal fat deposits.1)STRESS 2)ALCOHOL 1) STRESS :Stress has become part of daily life. Job pressure, financial insecurity, problems in personal relations, traffic & pollution all take a heavy toll of our mental well being.All the above factors combined with continuous negative thinking and not living in the present moment lead to a pressure-cooker environment of the mindAll of us lead a life either in the past or in the future.Your mind either thinks about the past or fantasizes and worries about the past. Nobody lives in the present moment living every moment and enjoying it as it is!This constant oscillation of the mind from past to present and present to past like a pendulum takes a heavy toll of your mind and body.Stress builds up and ageing becomes accelerated.The efficiency of the body's various fat burning organs becomes very low.Stress is the main cause of stored toxins in the body. These toxins impair the normal functioning of the various fat burning and excretory organs like thyroid gland, lever, kidney etc.This results in the body not being able to cope up with even normal pressures exerted at various levels due to heavy work or faulty diet and the net result is obesity and weight gain.Accumulated stress and anxiety from daily stress full modern living releases a hormone known as cortisole.Research indicates that Cortisole is the hormone responsible for preferential deposition of fat in the abdominal area.So if you want a sexy six pack, getting rid of stress is very important.There are thousands of books on relieving stress and positive thinking. But no book has the exact answer for the varied stressful states of mind.Your breath has a vital connection with your mind. By concentrating on your breath you can control your wandering mind and bring it to the present moment.Various breathing techniques, Yogasanas and Pranayamas have the power to expel toxins and stress out of your mind and body and make you more and more centered.My e-book "Proven weightloss secrets revealed" shows various ways to easily overcome stress and to burn abdominal fat without working for hours in a gym.2) ALCOHOL :Alcohol consumption leads to abdominal fat.Stanford university school of medicine has reported a link between drinking alcohol and abdominal fat.Recent findings report that alcohol drinkers have atleast twice the hip-waist ratios as compared to non-alcoholics.Alcohol also seems to make the body burn less fat and favours fat storage and subsequent weight gain.The main problem with alcohol drinking is that the stomach walls directly absorb alcohol. Since it never reaches intestine, the intestine doesn't give "full" signal to the brain. This causes the person to eat more. It has been observed that you tend to eat atleast 400 calories more when you are drunk.So, to reduce abdominal fat you need to reduce alcohol consumption or atleast reduce fat consumption whenever you drink.Spot reduction of abdominal fat is very difficult because fat melts evenly throughout the body. As such to reduce abdominal fat you must strive to reduce fat all over the body.Expelling the toxins out of your system and correcting the body's fat burning mechanism can achieve this. Detailed explanation of how to do this has been explained in my free email ecourse at:www.eweightlosstips.comAlcohol also seems to make the body burn less fat and favours fat storage and subsequent weight gain.Additionally, doing crunches regularly will help you a great deal in overcoming excess abdominal fat.